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Celebrating Jessica Ridgeway, the Inspiration for Lassy Project
Posted on October 4, 2014 by lassyproject

Two years ago today, our Colorado community was rocked by the abduction and murder of a 10-year old girl who had dreams of being a cheerleader in junior high school and loved the color purple. Jessica Ridgeway was taken on her way to school and the community still grapples with the tragedy.

This nightmare for the community resulted in something positive, it sparked Lassy Project, which honors Jessica’s memory every day by building safer communities, protecting children and by combining social impact and technology.

Sarah Ridgeway, Jessica’s mother, has been a supporter of the Lassy Project since its founding and works every day as a part of the Lassy Project staff to encourage communities to utilize the free app.

“Through everything, we have had the constant support of our community. When Jessica was missing there were hundreds of people that came to our side to help with the search. There is a community of people out there that care enough to want to help in times of need, and that is why I know Lassy Project is absolutely critical to preventing future child abductions.”

Lassy Project CEO and Co-Founder John Guydon remembers wanting to do something upon hearing about Jessica’s disappearance. “I’m a father of three. I cannot imagine the helplessness that a parent feels when their child doesn’t come home and precious minutes are ticking by. I thought there has to be something that can help solve this problem – something that can give parents, friends and neighbors some control in such a helpless situation. And that’s when the Lassy Project began to come together.”

Lassy Project is a free service that gives parents and guardians the ability to notify an entire local community about their missing child in seconds. With the single push of a button, parents can mobilize a trusted group of family, friends and neighbors immediately to help with their search.

Jessica is a daily reminder of the work done by Lassy Project staff and it’s supporters. In fact, even the new Lassy Project logo was inspired by Jessica who was always dancing and singing. Sarah remembers how she would share her new cheerleading routines every time she returned home from her junior cheerleading class with the Stanley Lake High School cheerleaders.

The megaphone, used by cheerleading teams around the world, was chosen as the logo as it is also a symbol to our communities to raise their voices and become a part of the solution. By calling out to our family, friends and neighbors and rallying our loved ones to become a part of the Lassy Project, we have the power to find lost, missing and abducted children.

In honor of Jessica and the thousands of other missing children, we ask that you become a part of Lassy Project and support our efforts to protect our children and build safe communities. Join Lassy Project today by signing up for free, expanding your village and spreading the word starting at www.LassyProject.com.

"LONGMONT -- When 10-year-old Jessica Ridgeway disappeared last fall somewhere along her route from home to school, John Guydon said he was shocked and badly wanted to help.

The father of two girls who has a son on the way said any parent who has lost a child for even minutes knows the terror and he believed technology is the answer.

"That's an eternity," he said of five minutes. "Any parent who has lost a child for even five minutes knows that."

The former University of Colorado football defensive tackle is now a technology entrepreneur and with the help of a California-based MIT developer and Laura Ownbey, a marketer and wife of a Longmont police officer, he founded The Lassy Project. Based roughly on Lassie the dog, iconic for getting help for "Timmy" on the classic television show, the project uses GPS and cell phone technology to let parents keep track of their children through a system that sends an alert when a child has left a designated route.

John Guydon, CEO of The Lassy Project, explains Monday, May 20, 2013, how the company's smartphone application works to send alerts. ( Greg Lindstrom )
"It is like a guard dog for your child," Guydon said. "If something goes wrong, it barks."

"The project allows parents to develop a profile for their children and program pre-designated routes for them, like a route from home to school. A cell phone with the child then uses GPS to track the child along the route, but if the child deviates from the route, the "parent list" is notified. That list can include parents and any other designee.

The notification includes a map of the route and a map of where the child has deviated from the route. The application will allow the parents to call the child and cancel the notification if the child is found safe or "escalate" the search.

The "escalation" button notifies others in the area who have opted into the application's "village." That means adults in the area who have signed up to help will receive a photo and description of the child along with information about where the child was last registered on the GPS.

Ownbey said police have helped advise during the development of the program.

"We work with law enforcement constantly," she said.

The application lets anyone on the parent list "escalate" the notice and rally a search party, removing any delay that could be caused while police are notified and, in some cases, while officers seek an Amber Alert. The notifications are far more local than Amber Alerts, which can cover an entire state or neighboring states and require several criteria to be met before they are issued. The escalations will alert police, as well, Ownbey said.

Research shows the first two hours after a child goes missing are the most vital, Guydon said, so the application alerts parents the moment a child goes off of a route and allows them to look into the behavior. Because the app is currently based on cell phone use, if the child stays in place for too long, as though the phone is just sitting somewhere unattended, the application will also send alerts.

"The program won't notify every subscriber of every missing child, but will use an algorithm to notify those in the area. Anyone can sign up to be in the "village" by providing a cell number, ZIP code, and full name through thelassyproject.com. Names are then checked against criminal background lists before they are included.

The project will also monitor parent use of the program and regulate any issues with parents who use it too frequently or inappropriately.

The beta version relies on cell phones, but Guydon said the group is in talks with developers who could make bracelets or other devices for the children to wear or carry.

Longer-term plans include adding cameras that can be mounted on homes of volunteers that will turn on and record in the event of an escalation to gather evidence for subsequent investigation.

"If we do all of this and we save one kid from being kidnapped and having their life ruined, we succeeded," Guydon said."

Thinking of you Jessica, 4 years ago today I became a member of Websleuths after your horrific abduction and murder. Through you, I have been able to be a part of this family here, and be an advocate for hundreds if not thousands of missing persons.